Network Security: Why Even Small Businesses Can't Overlook This Important Detail

About 95% of all the businesses in the United States have 500 or fewer employees. The remaining 5% are the larger corporations, up to and including industry titans whose operations span continents. These big businesses have the resources, staffing, and incentive to protect themselves from threats to their information security. As the largest companies become progressively harder targets for hackers, thieves, and other cyber criminals, their attention has begun to shift to more vulnerable prey: small businesses. Fortunately, providing robust network security isn’t as complicated as it sounds. In fact, it can be broken down into a couple of basic steps.

Keep the Bad Stuff Out

The most important step is making sure that all the viruses, hackers, and other nastiness stays outside of your network. The keys to this are implementing antivirus software on every computer in your organization and installing a hardware firewall that sits between your network and the wide-open Internet. Antivirus software keeps a watchful eye on your computers, finding and stopping malicious programs before they can do damage. Firewalls act like a security guard at your network’s front door, keeping riffraff out and stopping problems before they even get to your computers.

Keep Up With the Times

The most challenging part of network security is how fast things change. What is perfectly safe today could be a recipe for disaster tomorrow. Most software and hardware will have periodic updates to fix known vulnerabilities. Make sure to install them as soon as possible.

Stay Secure

There’s a whole world of recommendations out there. Here’s a few important ones: restrict physical access to the building, give users the least access possible, enforce strict username and password policies and train users on security awareness.

Prepare for the Worst

Nothing in life is ever certain, and that includes security. Make sure you have backups of everything important in case of loss or damage. Practice the 3-2-1 rule: have three copies of important data, using two types of media, one of which is stored off-site.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Setting up and maintaining network security can be a big challenge and several full-time jobs in and of itself. Don’t underestimate the usefulness of Ottawa managed services. The smartest choice may be to pay a company with the expertise to take care of all your security needs for you, giving you peace of mind that it was done right.

Network security should be a top priority for large and small businesses alike. Overlooking this important detail can put a small business in debt and put your company at risk. These tips can help you to protect your business.